Collaborative efforts result in inmates capture...
- Chris Bish
- Jul 3, 2017
- 2 min read
Posted June 19, 2017 11:41 am
By Red Denty (/red-denty)
Collaborative effort brought down fugitives
Escaped inmates Donnie Rowe and Ricky Dubose might still be on the run if
not for the collaborative efforts of law enforcement agencies across the
Southeast to catch them.
More than 150 law enforcement officers from local, state and federal
agencies converged in Morgan County to participate in the statewide manhunt
that ended in the fugitives’ capture nearly 300 miles away in Rutherford County,
Tennessee, said Morgan County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Chris Bish.
“Countless law enforcement professionals offered their assistance and
resources without hesitation,” said Georgia Department of Corrections
Commissioner Gregory Dozier. “We are eternally grateful for their selfless
service to GDC and to the citizens of this state.”
Morgan County became the focus of the search for the two fugitives after the
men burglarized a home, stole a vehicle and were spotted at a Family Dollar in
the area.
In response, the Federal Bureau of Investigation established a mobile
command center in Madison, and along with the Georgia State Patrol and the
Georgia Department of Natural Resources, provided helicopters and flight
crews to search the area from the sky.
“At first we had some personal drones on standby, but we never even had to
use them,” Bish said. “These other agencies really helped us get the coverage
we needed.”
Every state law enforcement agency responded to the incident in a move that
GDC Commissioner Dozier called unprecedented. The GDC provided “countless”
correctional officers and corrections emergency response teams to aid in the
search, in addition to more than 100 staff from the Office of Professional
Standards comprising K9 officers, investigators and intelligence agencies.
More than 100 Georgia Bureau of Investigation agents assisted with the
murder investigation and subsequent manhunt, following nearly 500 leads in
the search for Dubose and Rowe.
The GSP provided more than 100 troopers, in addition to 18 Motor Carrier
Compliance Officers and 20 Department of Public Safety Communications
officers who altogether put in nearly 1,800 hours assisting with duties like
concentrated patrols, house searches and air patrols.
Finally, the Georgia DNR also provided game wardens to assist with the search
and offered aircraft resources.
In addition to federal and state officers, Bish said that every county
surrounding Morgan sent deputies to aid in the search.
Oconee County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Lee Weems was one officer on the
scene in Madison to help.
“This is what we do. As law enforcement, we all have our own jurisdictions and
home areas, but when something like this happens, we’re all on the same
team,” he said. “This hits very close to home. We were just trying to help our
neighbors the same way we hope they would help us.”
While Bish commended the efforts of law enforcement to bring the criminals to
justice, he also wanted to recognize the role the public played in catching the
men.
“Policing is a partnership,” he said. “Without the public’s support, we just can’t
do our jobs.”
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